Pillow Talk
by Scorpiokagamine
Summary: "It was an accident," Armin whines an apology. "How was I supposed to know you were going to sleep with him?" "That's all well and good, Armin," I glare at my best friend. "But you little 'accident' has gotten me three weeks pregnant with his child."
1. First Comes Like

_**a/n: okay, so originally I was planning to never actually post this on FF, but considering the good reception it got on another site, I might as well. **_

_***Please keep in mind that Gypsy is a slur term, and that it is an offense to refer to the Romani people as such. **_

* * *

Our first time was in the backseat of his Maybach 62 in a frozen parking lot in the last week of Christmas and the first of the New Years. Not very romantic, I know (also not very comfortable. If you've seen the inside of one of those cars rich people buy you'll know its NOT for sex, despite popular belief), but what can you do when you're drunk off of however swigs from the bottle of champagne you stole from a company party your best friend hosted and dragged you into? Would you rather we'd done it outside?

(Plus the arguments used to get me to the party in the first place were, "Eren, you need to leave your room at least once a day-or once a week, and _no_, visiting Marco does _not_ count, don't start with me- or else someday you're gonna walk out of this room and no one's going to recognize you and we'll start charging you rent, even in your own house.")

But despite how drunk I was, I can still remember what he felt like. How his fingers felt sliding across my skin, how his lips pressed borderline-glorifying kisses into my hips and sides and the dirty shameful words he whispered into my ear that made me blush then and afterwards when he drove me home and even now. His warmth touch that was an exhilarating contrast to the freezing snow outside. The hot breaths that reformed into steam around me, the jolting cold touch of fingers at my ass and the hot head of his cock as he entered me. Sex with him, I'll admit, was something I had never felt with anyone else- it was fulfilling and fucking satisfying; one of those that romance novels wrote down the afterwards as "a cat licking cream from its whiskers."

Oh yeah.

I didn't feel like a fucking porn star; leave the shenanigans and tricks for the masters of locked doors and hidden rooms. But I did feel worshipped; his eyes, oh, his eyes as he watched me writhe and moan underneath him. His quiet sharp intakes of breath as I all but begged for his cock were music for my ears. And his lips...

It was like one of those friendships you had in high school; the weekends were spent too long apart and the sleepovers ended too quickly. Reality hit too soon for us. Obligations and other things like that made us hurry to clean up afterwards and get dressed. It wasn't until I walked back into my house dazed and totally, completely satisfied that I realized I never asked if he had a condom. But considering how carefully he had treated me the entire night, I'm sure it was fine. So I fell exhausted into my big bed still somewhat dressed and went out like a light, having no idea what my future held in the morning.

/Pillow Talk/

I woke up a few days later in the middle of the night with my ass bleeding like a river of Satan all over my sheets and feeling like someone was grabbing my stomach in a fist and squeezing. I quickly ran to the bathroom and puked whatever the hell I ate that night all over my toilet. I assumed it was food poisoning, so I grabbed a few pills and some water and downed it all in one big gulp. No biggie. I went to sleep again and woke up in the morning feeling like everything was just right in the world.

But I did notice some weird line of white stuff in my underwear by the end of the week. I just chalked it off to late night wet dreams in the end.

But what really was the big hint was three weeks later when I was playing a video game over at Marco's house and his boyfriend Jean was there. Apparently he didn't like the fact that I could whoop his ass so easily in the racing game. I had already felt the tingly sensations around my nipples, but I had assumed it was just because of the cold weather. Anyways, Jean tackled me immediately after I slid easily into first place and won, and his hands accidently hit my chest and I cried out in pain. Goddammit, it fucking felt like someone was raking stones over my body. I quickly proceeded to try to get the giant horseface off of me but he snickered and said, "What? Sensitive breasts?" I growled at that and proceeded to try to aim for a place where the sun don't shine.

Needless to say, Marco had to break us up and checked me over, much to the dismay of his lover boy. I smirked at Jean from across the room and played the victim in front of Marco. "Marco~~" I whined, wrapping my arms around his legs and pressing my cheek to his stomach. "Jean hit me~." I could feel Marco's soft look and the glare he sent his boyfriend as he ran his fingers through my hair.

"Come on," Jean groaned. "He's obviously faking it. Why are you checking up on him anyway? I was hurt far more than he was." Sensing Marco's conflicted feelings of helping his boyfriend or his best bud, I counter attack by looking up at Marco and giving him puppy eyes. "He made my nipples bleed," no matter how embarrassing that sounded later, right then I knew I triggered the inner pediatrician of Marco. Sending one last pained look at Jean to stop any of his comments, he asked me to lift up my shirt. And to my surprise and Marco's concern, my nipples really were bleeding. Not a river of Satan, though. They were really swollen, too- a bright cherry red with a few spots of blood. Marco immediately began to fawn over me, and over his shoulder I snickered at Jean, who glared at me.

But I regretted my decision soon as five hours later he finally let me out of his house after promising I'd see a doctor. I took the popsicle stick he offered me and kissed him on the cheek in parting (and to piss horseface off) before snatching my bag and leaving. But I wasn't going to see a doctor; oh, no. I had a feeling about who might have done this to me.

30 minutes later I was knocking on my sib from a different crib's apartment door. "Okay, Armin," I said once the door creaks open. I placed my hands on my hips. "What did you do this time?"

/Pillow Talk/

"So let me get this straight," I hold my hands to stop him. "You were in you spell book, again, even after Mikasa and I strictly told you not to, so you could look up a curse for your boss?"

Armin shuffles his feet nervously, his hands thrust in between his legs. "Well, I wasn't really trying to work up a curse, so to speak," He omits. "Just a simple spell to give him a bad day, nothing too extreme." I make a face at him. "Well, that certainly went well, didn't it." Armin squeaks softly and ducks his head shamefully as I cross my arms and legs. "Did it at least work?" I inquire.

"Y-you're...kind of...the result..."

"What?!" Armin throws his hands up in a defensive 'x' to block any of my hits. "W-well, you see, I was trying to give him stomach problems, but I might've messed up the spell and changed it to parturiency..."

"What the hell are you saying, Armin?" I slam my hands on the coffee table in front of us. He jumps. "I'm saying...you...you're...

Pregnant..."

"I'm assuming there's a way to fix this, right?" I say unamused. When Armin doesn't respond, my heart seizes. "Armin?"

He's quiet. "I-I'm sorry, Eren..."

It takes me 5 seconds. 5 long seconds. 5 fucking seconds to artfully design Armin's death. "Armin..." I growl. I stalk around the table to leer over Armin. "I was going to kill you straight away, but I don't think you would accept that without a warning..." He looks up nervously. "This...does put a damper on our relationship. Shall we do this as God intended? As in, you'll put down the knife you just picked up and I'll put away my spell book, ad we can face each other with skill against skill alone?"

"You mean, you'll put down your 'rock' and I'll put down my 'sword,' and we'll try and kill each other like civilized people?" I grin. "I could just kill you now." I place down the knife at the table and look at Armin with a mad gaze. " Frankly, I think the odds are slightly in your favor at hand fighting." Armin scoots away from me. But I grab him and pull him forward to wiggle my fingers up and down his sides in a humoring manner. He giggles and laughs immediately and I smile. "It's not my fault being the biggest and the strongest! I don't even exercise!"

He giggles again and kicks me off him. It feels like a kitten trying to bite me, but I comply and move away. He sits up again on the couch while I sink to the floor. I sigh loudly; Armin watches me from the corner of my eye. "You seem to take the news of this pregnancy thing well." I turn to glare at him. "You haven't even questioned me once."

"The thing about you, Armin," I say. "Is that, when it comes to your spell book, you're always right."

"I wouldn't say that," Armin rebukes. "Remember that one time we tried to get that one guy to get a crush on you?" I face palm. "Yes. And It backfired. Badly."

"If Mikasa sewing a body length pillow of you out of devotion and us walking in on her licking it with her freakishly long tongue is what you define as 'backfire,' I've hate to see what else you've got up your sleeve."

"Shut up, Armin."

He does. For a moment. "It was an accident, I hope you know."

I glare at him again. "How was I suppose to know you'd sleep with...whoever you slept with."

"That nice, Armin, but your little 'accident' got me three weeks pregnant with his child. This is why we can't have nice things, Armin." He ignores my last comment. "That reminds me...are you going to tell him?" I tilt my head. "The..." He trails off, unsure.

"The guy who knocked me up?" I finish. "Hell no. I'd probably be doing him a favor by not telling him."

"Well, that's if you somehow prove that you are pregnant with his child." I scowl. "Right."

He's silent for a few more moments. Then, "Who's going to tell Mikasa?"

/Pillow Talk/

"The fucking shit I do for you, Armin," I mutter as I read the address scribbled on the back of a "Please consider me as an alternative to suicide" hotline. "The fucking shit I do."

"_Just be happy that I'm the one who has to tell Mikasa,"_ Armin tells me over the phone. "_She's so not going to be happy_."

"Your fault. You got me pregnant."

"_Ahem. Excuse me. My penis had nothing to do with your anus, thank you very much_."

"Is this your way of saying you're not my sugar daddy?"

_"...I suppose_."

I look up at the very tall, very imposing building from across the street. "How'd you find his address anyway?"

"_Not telling_."

"What? Had to sell a few souls to Lucifer?"

"_If this is your way of saying the father of the child was very good in the bedroom, please stop_."

"Mmm..." I hum, licking my lips. "He was though."

"_I do not need to know the specifics, thank you_."

"What's this?" I pretend to be shocked. "The Godfather doesn't want to know the story of his godchild? How will you tell them about me?"

"_..._"

"Armin?"

_"I have been suddenly told I was a Godfather. I don't know how to receive this information_."

"You sound like a robot." I bit my lip. He only turns that way once he's really shocked. "You don't...have to be one." I didn't mean to tell him that. God, I don't even know if I want to have the child.

"_No, no. You mistook my reaction. I am...ecstatic that you've chosen me as the Godfather_."

"You're welcome. Jokes on you though. Mikasa's the Godmother." I guess we'll just have to see after I get the reaction from the baby's father.

Armin and I stayed up late that after night he told me about my...predicament. We talked about everything; if I should have the baby, if I shouldn't, how Mikasa would react if I did. How'd she kill us when we told her. Somehow in the conversation Armin convinced me to see the father of my- no, the baby. If I thought of it as mine, I wouldn't be open to any other options than to keep it. But Armin make the point that I wasn't ready for a child, or anything of the sort. he offered the idea of adoption, but I shot it down. I didn't want the child- any child- to grow up like we did; not knowing who are parents were, or where they were. Just that we were unwanted.

I tug my jet black long coat closer over my body, and in my ear I can hear a faint knock.

"_I believe that's Satan, come to feed on my soul_."

"Nah, bud." I grin. "She's worse."

"I have to agree with you on that."

"Good luck," I sing before hanging up. My hand slips and find my coat pocket, bumping into my stomach as it does. I gasp and jolt a little, shivers running down my spine. I shake it off and head across the street towards the large building.

/Pillow Talk/

"Um," Fuck, I couldn't even make it past the receptionist. "I'm here to see..." I glance down at the card. "A guy named Levi?" The elderly woman with her weird librarian glasses blinks at me. "Levi?" She repeats. I nod.

"For what purpose?"

"Its...kind of private," I say, scratching the back of my head. "But its urgent."

"Your relations with Levi?"

"I'm his... cousin."

"I see," She says. "Please give me a moment." She turns to the phone then and switches to talk in German. "Ich brauche den Sicherheitsdienst. Hier ist ein Junge der Levi sehen will. Ich glaube er ist ein Reporter." Well, thank god for the foreign languages Mikasa drilled into my brain. I'm out. "You know what?" The receptionist looks at me, phone still pressed to her ear. "I think I'll just come back at a later time. After lunch, maybe?" I walk backwards, smiling at the elderly lady. She tries to stop me, but I dart out of there quickly. I sigh and sit down on a nearby ledge, resting my chin on my hand. That went well. Of all people, why the hell did the one guy who knocked me up have to be some fancy ass rich dip-shit in some kind of international business stuff? Seriously, what the fuck?

"Well, I can't say why this man is the one who 'knocked you up,' but I can say that you are in quite a predicament, young man." I jump at the voice beside me and finally notice the tall blonde haired blue eyed man beside me.

"Oh shit, I'm sorry, was I thinking out loud?" I apologize, scratching the back of my head. "Haha, don't mind me, I must be going crazy. Guys can't get knocked up." Yep, that was it. There goes my sanity. I laugh nervously.

"Oh, I don't mind at all," The man waves me off. "I find the crazy ones are often the most honest." Hm. Compliment or insult? That is the question. "But what's this about getting knocked up and pregnancy?" I sigh and rest my chin on my hand again. "You wouldn't believe me, man." The Blonde man looks taken aback by my statement. "On the contrary, my young friend. I think I would."

"Well, you're not going to believe me, but the thing is... I slept with this guy a few weeks ago," I say slowly. "And it was all well and good. But it turns out my friend was using spells that night and accidently did something that made me able to get pregnant. So shit hit the fan, and here I am," I gesture at myself and the area around me. "Thought I should at least have the decency to tell the guy who put it in me." Well, its more of Armin's idea, but let's not stray from the topic. The man's blue gaze is calculating. "I take it this means you are...how do the American's say...have buns in the oven?"

Oh my god.

Did he just-

Did he really just-

Oh my god.

"No, no. Well, if you mean, am I pregnant? Yes." I laugh nervously now. The blonde man looks dumbstruck. "See? Hard to believe, right?" I sigh again and look away. The front of the building looks pretty; a large fountain and a grass area were people sit and lounge in. It's winter, though, so no one's really eating on the grass. Must be break time, since so many people were exiting the building. "My friend," I look back at the other man. "Since you have entrusted me with your tale, I shall tell one of my one." Oh god, is he pulling the old guy act? "You see, My grandmother was a gypsy, and she believed I inherited the ability to tell when people were lying. The only catch was that I needed to touch them." I smile and nod, but inside I make a disgusted face. Please, please don't be a weird perv. It was going so well. "Well, do you?" I ask.

"I can't say for certain," he says. "However, I have never entered the wrong business deal, if you know what I mean." No, but okay. "So I would like to ask you to hold out your hand." I comply without question, offering the hand I wasn't resting on. He places his around it in a form of a handshake, and his eyes widen before almost closing, and his lips form a cats grin. "Ah, Eren, I believe I know how to help you."

What the-

"Please don't be frightened. I only read your name from your dog tag." I look down at my medical dog tag. Sure enough, my engraved name is sticking out. "But I take it that its not your first case with gypsy magic," he says. I shake my head. "No. My friend's gypsy too, on his fathers' side." The older man looks deep into my eyes. Low toned, he says, "I wasn't taking about him."

I blink.

"However, that is a story for another time." The man rises. "My name is Erwin Smith, Mr. Eren. I believe I know of the Levi you seek." Erwin offers me a hand that I take and pulls me up right. From here, I can really tell how tall he is. Fuck, he's like a titan. "I look forward to the future you two have together." He takes my hand, which I just realize he was still holding, and kisses it.

/Pillow Talk/

* * *

_***Please keep in mind that Gypsy is a slur term, and that it is an offense to refer to the Romani people as such. **_


	2. The Man From Nowhere

_**A/N: I don't think that Romani magic actually has a spell or ritual that makes someone pregnant. Well, they might, but I don't think it works in the way that it does in this story. So keep in mind that this is FICTION, and I don't really know how Romani magic works. **_

_**_***Please keep in mind that Gypsy is a slur term, and that it is an offense to refer to the Romani people as such. **_**_

* * *

"Mr. Ackerman, sir," Levi keeps his gaze outside the window as his secretary Petra hands him a folder. "The company needs you to sign this." He makes no sound of acknowledgement. "Mr. Ackerman?" He blinks then, and with one last look, turns to look at her. "Hm?" He hums in question.

"Is something wrong, sir?" She asks. "You've been staring out the window ever since you arrive this morning. May I be of any help?" He chuckles to her offer. His hands reach to open the file in front of him, looking it over as he spoke. "If somehow convincing the two elderly people in my lives that were raised in the mid-20th century that I don't _need_ them to find a fiancé for me- which I could find _perfectly on my own_\- is in your job description, I'd give you a massive raise." Petra grins at that. "How about 2 weeks vacation?" She jokes, but knows better. Levi finishes reading the document and signs it before handing it back to her. "Oh, by the way, the chairman called. He said there was someone you needed to see."

Levi nods and dismisses her. "Send them in, when they get here." Petra bows and exits, leaving Levi alone again with his thoughts. He rests his elbows on the desk and covers his face.

His grandparents had called him early that morning to give him an earful of carrying on the family linage. "Why aren't you married yet? Isn't there someone? What happened to that lovely girl- Sandra, I think her name was?" His grandmother had jabbered to him over the phone. She was like the first line of attack; quick, sharp, unforgiving, and blunt. "Grandmama, you said you hated her," He sighed. His hand comes up- even now-to rub the wrinkles from between his brows. "I never said that," His grandmother retreats briefly.

Then the Calvary comes in. "Abigail, I believe you said-" His grandfather tries to intervene from the background. "I know what I said, Elliot," his wife snaps. Then she speaks to her grandson again, this time with much more patience and being less demanding. "Love, we only want the best for you. That's why we're allowing you this time to find out who's the one for you. Be it man or woman-"

"Grandmama," Levi groans. "Ah, ah, don't sass me, boy. Else I will take the earliest flight down there to whoop you from here to kingdom come." He mutters something about her old age not letting her under his breath. "Don't think I didn't hear you." His grandmother warns. "But you're getting me off topic. Seriously, Levi..." her tone goes soft. Desperate. "Isn't there anyone? Anyone at all?"

He looks over at glass wall separating him and his secretary. She looks up and smiles at someone talking to her. Levi watches the redness of her cheeks as she laughs. He remembers looking over at the picture the two of them had taken long ago while taking his time to answer. "...No. There's no one." His grandmother had sighed then, defeated. You and me both, Grandmama. He sighs even now. Shaking his head, he looks out the window again.

Its when he's finally looking at his documents that he gets the call from Petra. "He's here, Sir." Who was she talking about- Ah.

"Send him in." He commands, and no more than three seconds later his office doors open to reveal a tall male beauty with bright emerald eyes and brown hair. He wears a sharp looking dark long coat and deep blue pants. He's wearing sneakers, though, despite the cold weather. "Come in," Levi tries the polite approach, because a) he doesn't recognize this man, and b) the chairman sent him in, so he must be important.

The tall male shifts his feet nervously before stepping forward towards his desk. "Sit." Levi points at the chair opposite of him and the stranger complies. He looks more frightened than relaxed, though- back erect, eyes darting around the room, fingers gripping into the leather armrest. Is this his first time inside a room like this? Or had he heard rumors of Levi's patience? "What may I do for you, Mr...?"

He trails off, allowing the male to introduce himself. "Yeager. Eren Yeager." Mr. Yeager's answer comes out choked. Levi tilts his head the tiniest bit. "Mr. Yeager. I believe you already know who I am from my boss, but I'll introduce myself anyways. I'm Levi Ackerman," he offers the man across from him a hand. Mr. Yeager only looks at it then back up at him.

Hesitantly, he takes Levi's hand and clasps it lightly. Faintly, Levi can hear Mr. Yeager mutter something, but its too low for him to catch. "What was that?" he hisses inwardly at himself for the blunt question, especially when Mr. Yeager gives him this somewhat frightened look. "Sorry," Levi murmurs.

"Its nothing," Mr. Yeager says, though if it was about what he said or what Levi had said, he was unsure. There's an awkward silence that follows; Levi looks at Mr. Yeager expectantly and the man himself not looking him in the eye. Levi begins to seriously question what was going on. "Mr. Yeager?" said man jolts in his seat, and Levi frowns slightly in concern. "You apparently have something I need to hear?"

"Well, I wouldn't say need, but-"

"Mr. Yeager."

"Yes?" He squeaked.

"Please get to the point."

"Right. So," Mr. Yeager gulps audibly. "Can you recall what you did three weeks ago?" Levi leans back at the question, confused. "What does that have to do with-"

"Please." Mr. Yeager sends him a look that borderlines on pleading. A shiver runs down his spine. "Just go with it. Please." Levi reads the honesty in the green gaze for a few moments before nodding once. He thinks back. "I remember I was at a party."

\\\\\Pillow Talk\\\\\

"Well, hello there," a voice behind him flirted. Levi turned from the balcony view to see a tall man in a very complementing dark suit. He held a champagne bottle daintily in his right hand and wore a devilish smirk on his face, and his eyes glowed brightly in the shadow of the low-lit ballroom. "What's a sexy thing like you doing hanging around all these boring old farts?" He stepped close and lowered his voice to murmur in Levi's ear. He shivered, but masked it with a disinterested gaze.

"Probably because I'm one of those old farts," he muttered sourly, taking a sip of his champagne. Tall dark and dangerous beside him made a face. "Ew. You wear diapers?" Levi choked on his drink, much to the amusement of the male beside him. "You should've seen your face," he chuckled. Levi glared.

"Sorry. Got off on the wrong foot. My name's Eren," he offered his hand to Levi. "And you, Sexy?" The endearment, on a regular day, wouldn't make his cheeks flush or his stomach flutter. But since he drank two glasses of champagne and a few swigs of whiskey before he got here...He shrugged.

"Levi." Not a lie. Though Eren didn't feel like an common name, Levi got the feeling he wasn't lying about his name. He didn't offer anything else, though, so Levi didn't either. "How's the night going for you?" Eren asks politely. He moves again to rest against the railing, and Levi realizes through the loss of warmth how hot Eren felt. He hides his slight blush with his glass. "Fine."

He sips from his glass again, and from the corner of his eye, He sees Eren watch him. His eyes were so bright before, but now they looked like stars, shining against the darkness like the fabled tiger eyes the William Blake wrote of.

_"Tiger, Tiger, burning bright. In the forests of the night..._

\\\\\Pillow Talk\\\\\

" _'In what distant deeps or skies, burnt the fire of thine eyes_?' " Mr. Yeager says, bringing Levi from his story. "Have to give you props for that pick up line. Girls would dig it." He grins smartly across the desk.

"Excuse me?" Levi questions, really, really, really confused now. Mr. Yeager's jaw drops. "What? You're telling me- Okay, I'll give you a hint. " A hint? For what? Why did he need to guess-

"My name's Eren," Mr. Yeager states yet again, but this time his eyes are half-lidded with a twinkle of hunger behind them. He offers his hand. "And you, Sexy?" Levi's eyes open wide in realization while Mr. Yeager's- Eren's eyes fall back into a playful look. Almost like that night. Eren grins, "Remember me now?"

Levi growls. "I thought we agreed that it was a one time thing." Eren scoffs and cross his arms. "No, you decided that on your own. Without telling me anything." HIs green eyes flash challengingly.

"Isn't that how it goes? A unspoken agreement after sex for it to never happen again?"

"What movies have you been watching?" Eren makes a face.

"None," Levi snarls. "I just assumed."

"Well, you 'assumed' wrong then."

"Apparently," Levi grits his teeth as his patience wears to a very thin line. "I did."

Eren seems to sense an upcoming battle and backtracks. "Look. I'm sorry, we got off on the wrong foot. I-"

Levi interrupts. "Do you want money? Is that why you're here?" But if the chairman sent Eren in, that's probably not why. "Did Erwin put you up to this?" his gaze rakes up and down Eren's body shamefully, and from the way Eren shifts, he can tell the man doesn't like it. "What? No!" Eren gets defensive. And for some reason, that gets on Levi's nerves. "Erwin didn't put me up to anything-"

"How much did he pay you-" Levi reaches for his check book on his desk and a pen. "He didn't pay me anything, you bastard-" Levi ignores him and begins to write out a large check. "Who should I-"

"I'm pregnant!" Eren shouts suddenly. "I'm fucking pregnant and you're the fucking father, you prick!"

Levi stills. The pen in his hand falls, and he looks at Eren with the most angriest look he can muster. Eren matches the gaze with an angry look of his own. And because his body is fucked up, Levi thinks back to that night three weeks ago, when Eren looked up at him with hungry eyes and rake his nails across Levi's back as he writhed underneath him. When he moaned and whined and begged and pleaded for more, the tears in his eyes; and afterward, the completely satisfied look that challenged the look of a cat getting its milk, the one that Levi kissed and nibbled and savored. God...

His eyes take in Eren's slightly huffing chest and flared nostrils, and to his dismay he feels heat start to pool around his groin. "Get out."

That startles him, and from the look on Eren's face, startles him, too. "What?" the surprised tone further proves his guess. "I said get out. You're a few years too early to be playing pranks on me."

"I'm not-"

"Get. Out!" Levi's the one shouting now. Few can actually get that response from him, and he's surprised that a complete stranger is the one to do it. "Don't ever come back here, ever again." The room is filled with an angry silence. Then Eren sighs. "Look, I don't want any money, alright? I- I just thought...you'd like to know." He rises. Levi keeps his gaze on the spot where Eren sat.

Eren walks to the door and pauses before he opens it. Looking back once, he says, "Bye, Levi." And he leaves.

Levi finally moves, but not to look a the door. He covers his face with his hands and rubs his temples, feeling as though he's been freed from a migraine. He counts to three slowly before releasing a huge breath and opening his eyes.

And to his immediate dismay (because his friend and general manager Hanji designed the room and thought clear glass walls were the next thing) he can clearly see Eren wave good bye to Petra and head towards the public elevator on the other side of the building from Levi's office. He can see Eren push the button, see him wait patiently for the door.

And to his (and Eren's, apparently) surprise, he witnesses Erwin of all people snatch Eren's elbow before he can board and strike up a conversation.

Levi doesn't know why his skin prickles. Doesn't know why his teeth grit and his hands fist. But he does know he does not like how easily Eren is talking with Erwin, does not like how easily Erwin wraps his arms around the other in a "friendly" hug.

He glared at Erwin's arms, wanting to snap them like a twig. And he feels like his heart broke at the expression on Eren's face- the trust he's already placed in Erwin is astonishing and suspicious. And Levi did not like it one bit.

Not that it mattered. No. It shouldn't matter- it didn't matter. It wasn't his business who Erwin or Eren slept with- be it with someone else or with each other. He had nothing to do with that.

Still, he glared at the two when Erwin passed his phone to Eren and he took it. He glared at them as Eren pressed something on the phone and placed the cell phone to his ear. He hissed when he's own phone rang and picked it up. "What," he snarled.

"_Erwin wants us to talk this out like civilized beings_," He'll admit he was surprised when it was Eren's voice on the other end. "_I told him there's no way you could be civilized. He laughed_."

Levi kept his gaze on the Eren. "An appropriate reaction." Remind me later to kill Erwin.

"_Look_," Levi focused on Eren's calm tone. "_I know its a stretch, but believe me when I say I'm pregnant with your child_." Levi catches the way Eren bites his lip as he waits for Levi to respond. "Pass the phone." He instructs, and watches as an irritating exchange goes on between the two. The Erwin grabs the phone, "Hell-"

"_**Did you test him**_?" Levi hisses as he switches to the Romani dialect that Erwin himself taught him.

Erwin takes a moment to respond. "_**Yes**_."

"_**And?**_"

Erwin takes an even longer time to answer. Levi can tell he's calculating the outcomes of telling Levi the truth. "Erwin?"

Levi's heart is beating erratically in his chest as he waits. His skin feels so hot, his chest feels tight, and he's hanging on to every last word as Erwin finally speaks.

"_**He-**_"

\\\\\Pillow Talk\\\\\

* * *

_***Please keep in mind that Gypsy is a slur term, and that it is an offense to refer to the Romani people as such. **_

_**A/N:** **I'd like to thank a guest for kindly informing me that gypsy IS STILL an offense term. I DID KNOW that the word was derogatory, however, when I was first writing this, I was unclear what a gypsy was really called. Still, I'd like to sincerely apologize to anyone who was offended while they were reading this. **__** But you will notice in later chapters I slowly stop writing them as "gypsy" as refer to them as Romani.**_

_**That because of a point within the story, but I won't say anymore than that. **_

_**Also keep in mind that I'm using the term to describe a characters lineage, and I do not mean to offend anyone.**_

_** Now, I'm going to leave the word "Gypsy" in the story, kind guest, but I PROMISE that I WILL leave this: (**__**_***Please keep in mind that Gypsy is a slur term, and that it is an offense to refer to the Romani people as such.) **_**_**_At the top and bottom of every chapter. And to anyone who wants more information, I'll leave the link I was given by the reviewer here._**

**_post/18929758502/to-all-you-hipsters-in-the-gypsy-tag_**

**_I also further researched the topic and found other sites with the same post but other links to other similar topics._**

**_**_ post/18929758502/to-all-you-hipsters-in-the-gypsy-tag_**_**

_** /post/to-all-you-hipsters-in-the-gypsy-tag/18929758502**_

_**I apologize again to Romani peoples. **_


	3. Father of the Alien

_***Please keep in mind that Gypsy is a slur term, and that it is an offense to refer to the Romani people as such.**_

_**A/n: if you were offended by the word "gypsy," you might be a little bit angry at Eren in the beginning of this chapter because he keeps saying Gypsy. When I first wrote this (remember I wrote this on another site first) I was writing it with the mindset my culture has: that 'gypsy' is what the culture is called. I am aware of what the term really means now, and I hope people spread the awareness after reading this.**_

* * *

"Eren?" I turned at the sound of my name to look at Erwin as we headed to my apartment complex. He had been quiet the whole cheap ride there (seriously guys I'm not kidding. He was even quiet when a new pop song came on and everyone on the train started singing it); saying no more than a short answer to my occasional questions.

Maybe it was his first time being amongst the middle class and he was shocked silent. Or he's not generally a talker. Who knows? "You said your friend had used a spell on you to make you..." he gestured at my body as to finish his question.

I nod as Erwin moved to hold the door open for me, narrowly avoiding a speedy pedestrian on their way to work, most likely. See, my apartment is located "near" the bustling city, as my realtor told me when I first bought it. But she lied; it was located right smack dab in the heart of the city, with crazy erratic drivers obsessed with the next great discount at a rich people store so that their daughters can be popular at school or their son is motivated to get the grades they want.

And at certain times of the day I don't go outside (well actually I don't go outside _at all_) because its lunch hour or the end or beginning of a work day. Shit hits the fan- and the front of a car- at those times during the day.

For now, though, the streets are closed because of the repairs some annoying old man who has issues with young people complained to the city. Have to thank him, though- _now_ there's a bunch of traffic on the sidewalk. "How?" My mind jumps quickly back to what Erwin was asking. Ah, the million dollar question. Erwin deserved a cookie.

I wipe my feet on the carpet in front of the door before stepping inside. "My friend inherited a book when his grandfather passed away. He had always known about his gypsy roots, but that book was the first-and only- encounter he ever had with it."

I can remember almost clearly the night Armin showed me his book; the way his blue eyes shot open in wide wonder, his hard breathing in excitement and anticipation, the eager touch of his fingers, the way his ass jolted- wait, no, that was when I first lost my virginity. Shit. Wrong memory.

Erwin tilted his head. "What's in the book?" It takes me a moment to bring myself back (yet again) to the conversation (stupid realtors and boys). "It's not a book." I press the button on the elevator and groan escapes my lips that matches the similar noises coming from above. Erwin looks up. "What's that?"

"The sound of God hating me," I answer in a groan. Sourly, I turn for the stairs. Erwin follows after me doggedly. "See, it's actually a bible."

"Bible?" I hear Erwin pause at the foot of the stairs and continue until I reach the top. I turn to look down at him like in the movies, my tone somber. My eyes take in the face of a man who's mind has just been blown. "The book is actually the entire history of Armin's family written down within the passages of a catholic bible." I scratch the back of my head. "It's even printed in Latin, while the gypsy stuff is written in ink."

"Romani dialect." A cool voice cuts in. "Huh?" I furrow my eyes slightly at what Erwin says. "The writing," He explains, admiration in his soft tone. "It's Romani dialect." I nod. " Anyways, my friend says the books enchanted so that it'll never tear and the writing will never fade away. And because Armin's ancestors had asses tighter than a priest, the spells are actually written in code."

I think back. "It took Armin three months to actually figure out the first part of a spell, 'cause he's not fluent in Romani." Erwin looks impressed. I smile. "You'll probably get to meet him up in my apartment." I turn at that and continue up the stairs, Erwin following three steps after me.

That may have been the interesting part of Erwin's night, but mine had just begun. It started when we finally made it to my floor and were standing just outside my apartment. While I sifted through my pockets, Erwin made this...face, as he stood beside me.

"What is this...ominous presence?" He says as I curse and bitch about not finding my keys. His posture suggests his wariness and discomfort. "It feels as though I'm walking into the lion's den, only...how do the American's say...ten times worse." I look at him in confusion before he makes that comment. "Well, I was thinking I left my keys at Armin's anyway." I mutter under my breath.

"What?"

"Nothing," I sing. "I was just-" I hear footsteps on the other side of the door and panic. Shit. I turn and place my hands on Erwin's shoulders to push him out of the direct view of his impending doom- hey, a rhyme. But whether it was his mistake for not going with it or mine for not explaining how I was saving his life is a current toss up, because he latches his hands on my elbows to steady himself since maybe I pushed him a little too hard too suddenly. And by pure accident, our chests brush as we are pushed up together and I gasp.

But before I can push him away from being too close to the fire, the door creaks open. I'm frozen in place as a small ray of darkness seeps out from inside my apartment. "Are you the man who violated my friends' ass and implanted an alien into his stomach?" Mikasa murmurs darkly in her "I'm Satan, and I'm so ready to send you to hell" voice. Erwin's face contorts to one of horror, and a sweat drop slips from the top of my head. We pull apart- well, I step away while Erwin jumps across the hall to the other wall and presses his back to it. "No! No. No, Mikasa," I turn to look at the small crack in the door. "He's just a...friend."

"Your slow reply suggests otherwise," She comments. I laugh nervously. "Well, I did just meet him today, and he did help me see the father."

"Father?"

"Of the alien." I say. " In my stomach."

She hums. "Then why is he here?"

I...I didn't know the answer to that one. Why was he here, other than to ruin Mikasa's trust in me?

"He helped me see the father." I say, shrugging my shoulders. She squints her eyes at me before closing the door to unlock it.

/Pillow talk/

Remember how I said earlier how it was a toss-up as to whether it was mine or Erwin's fault earlier?

It was Erwin's. All. Erwin's. Fault.

_All his fault._

Let the record show- let the lord know, Jesus- that it was all, all, _all_ Erwin's fault.

Because when I stepped into the apartment with Erwin keeping close to me as if I was a repellent for Mikasa, I did not_ deserve_ Armin looking up from behind the kitchen counter, raise his eyebrows, and say;

"Eren, you didn't tell me he was a titan. How in the world did his genitalia ever fit into your gluteus maximus?"

Oh-oh-Oh My God no amount of alcohol could help me live this down. Nope. Nu-uh. No way. I groaned and smacked my head against the nearest wall. Maybe it hit a little too loudly for Erwin because I saw the look of concern on his face from the corner of my eye. "Armin, Armin, oh my god-"

"I don't think-" He starts, but I hold my hand up. "Armin don't even think about finishing that sentence." His mouth falls shut. I take a deep breath. "Erwin is not the father." Mikasa steps forward, questions burning on her lips. But I answer before she can get a word out. Pointing at Erwin, I say "Not the baby daddy." At myself, "Currently pregnant with said baby." I gesture at Armin, "Entirely his fault." Mikasa nods and steps back.

"I can't say that I'm offended," Armin rebuts. "Because I'm not."

I glare at him. "Shut up." Hoping to diffuse Mikasa's standoff reaction to Erwin, I turn to her and ask. "How's the roommate?" I know I asked the right question because Mikasa scrunches her nose slightly. "Annie's...fine," she says slowly. I snicker. "Your slow response suggests otherwise," I tease and she scowls. Her hand smacks me lightly on the arm.

"She's just been distant lately. She calls when she can't make it to dinner, of course, but...I can count the number of times we've eaten any meal together this past week on one hand." She sighs. "Think Mikasa's finally scared her off with her personality?" Armin calls from the kitchen. I snort.

"Is she dating someone?" I inquire as Mikasa sends a glare at the small blonde. Because how the hell Annie can pull that off is _way_ more interesting than a 23 year old man getting pregnant. Mikasa shakes her head. "We have a roommate agreement, so she can't date someone without letting me meet them first." Riiiiiight, roommate agreement. Like some document could keep me from getting into someone's pants- _OW_. "Mikasa!" I shout, rubbing the back of my head where she slapped me. "What the hell?"

"You may not have respect for documents and ledgers," Mikasa warns. "But other people do."

I think one day she's gonna break my brain if I keep this up. "Alright! All Hail Mikasa and her roommate agreement. Glory, glory, blah blah." I hiss. Mikasa looks on unfazed as I walk around her to sit on my couch. Erwin moves after me and sits a good three foot distance after a cold glare from Mikasa is sent his way.

Armin brings drinks for the four of us and sits on the floor by my feet. Before Erwin can even politely refuse his drink, Mikasa begins his inquiry of him. I sigh. Armin looks up at me. "So what happened?" he asked. "How'd he take it?" He blinks up at me. "How'd who take what?" I ask, taking a sip of my wa-_hello,_ that's _definitely_ not water.

I send a look at Armin, who shrugs. "I had a feeling it's gonna be a rough night." Oh, thank god for someone like Armin and the fact he was my friend. Thank you, thank you, _thank_ _you. _I sip my drink again more eagerly. "You still haven't answer my question." I blink at Armin. "Babe, you're gonna have to be more specific than that."

"How did the baby daddy take it?"

"Oh my god, Armin." I groan and smack my face with my hand. "Please don't say something like that ever again." Armin doesn't even shrug. "Answer the question." I sigh. Then I repeat my entire event filled day, from the beginning.

/Pillow Talk/

Erwin started to speak in some weird dialect that I couldn't place once the phone touched his ear. I politely looked away so that he could talk normally- although, I don't know how you can talk to the guy who's spawn was now inside of my stomach normally. But Erwin seems to be calm, so, I guess you can. My eyes trace the interior of the business building, taking in the glass wall offices and cubicles. Erwin continues his conversation when my eye catches a small girl holding a balloon as she waited for her mother to get off the phone. Memories come to mind as I stare at the girl intently. A red balloon ties to my wrist, the broken window, a woman's voice speaking hurriedly in whispers over the phone-

"-Eren?" My head jerks to meet Erwin's worried blue gaze and I grin devilishly. "What? I totally wasn't checking out that hot piece of work while you were on the phone." I rake my eyes up and down Erwin's body. "Not when I've got you." I flirt.

Erwin's eyes seem to turn really bright. "Although pleased as I am that you find me attractive, I have to say I don't see you in the same light." I shrug, tilting my head over to the side. "Didn't hurt to try," I say. "So what's the gossip, Lumberjack?"

"Huh?"

"Sasquatch." From the look on Erwin's face, I try again. Although I don't know why. "Stretch? Twin tower?" No light turns on upstairs in Erwin's eyes, so I sigh irritably.

"Never mind."

The elevator doors ding, and I step back to board it. Erwin grabs me arm again but lets it go to follow after me. And I realize the convince of being the tallest person here; no one else can board after Erwin, and the people already in are squished against the walls of the elevator.

I grimace. "Hey, Erwin? If you'd please take a step back, you'd save us all from death by squishing, thanks." People murmur in confirmation of my claim and Erwin moves back just as the doors close. We all release a big sigh in rejoice of being able to breathe again. I look up at Erwin. "Back to my question. What'd he say?"

"I don't think this is hardly the place-"

"Erwin." I cut him off. "We're all grownups. Just tell me." Erwin just shakes his head.

"Don't make me go to drastic measures."

"Drastic...measures?" Erwin looks like a puppy when you hid a toy behind your back. Confused. Dazed. Thinking you've performed magic.

I grin. "Like this," I say, moving to press the emergency stop button.

/Pillow Talk/

I sip my drink again. "Needless to say, we stayed in the elevator for an hour, and he still wouldn't tell me." Armin shakes his head, defeated. "What?"

"Nothing it's just..." He shakes his head again as if that could sum up his words. "So he blew his top off?" I nod and take another sip. "But hey, at least he got the news."

"Three positives for every negative," Armin chirped. I lower my drink so I can speak. "Or a solution to every negative. I really don't see what the point is in finding a positive when you can just find a solution."

Erwin's voice rumbles beside me. "Then what's your solution?" I turn to meet his questioning gaze with my own. Mikasa just turns to grab some more water for her drink. She already knew the answer to my question, but Erwin didn't. "There is none." I say simply. "What?" His tone jumps an octave. "Yep." My lip bobs on the 'p' sound as I answer. "Telling Levi that his alien was in my stomach was the entire plan." Erwin looks shocked. I laugh. "Now I just need to call a doctor and schedule an appointment for an abortion."

Erwin looks appalled.

"Just kidding! Just kidding!" I laugh harder, smacking Erwin lightly on the shoulder and getting a crash course on how his muscles ripple under his arm. Damn. My grin remains on my face though as I reassure Erwin. "Armin and I already discussed it. I'm having the baby."

I look down to already find my hand on my stomach, my fingers splayed over the area I'm sure the baby rested. "I've never really approved of choosing someone else's life," I say softly.

I don't catch the look on Erwin's face as I turn to Armin. "And this one here says it's gonna be a girl, so-"

"What?" The sound of a box slamming down onto my counter top makes me turn to see Mikasa holding a cereal box as she fixes her cold glare at us. "Did I just hear you right? You're gonna have it?" Her glare bores into my skull. Hesitantly, I nod. "Eren, you're not ready to make that decision! You're only-"

"23 years old?" I say, my eyebrow raising. "Girls have been having babies earlier than I have, Mikasa."

"_You're not a girl_," she growled. I felt Erwin shift beside me. But I only straightened my back and fixed Mikasa with a hard glare of my own. "Mikasa-"

"_I don't even want to hear it_!" Her voice was almost at the point of screaming. I get up on my feet and stomp over to here. "You're_ not_ having that _thing-_!" Her voice cut off as I smacked my forehead against hers. Surprised, she took a step back and covered her head with her hands as if to ease the hurt. But her eyes were more clear this time, which was what I wanted. I breathed deep to calm down and to collect my thoughts before speaking.

"First of all, Mikasa, I'm 23 years old, perfectly capable of fending for myself as well as this _child_." I put emphasis on the word child. "I have a job, steady income, live in a good neighborhood, and I have a permanent residence. I'm not going anywhere." I breathe again. "Second of all, I have the two bestest, most trusted friends in the whole world, alright? And they're gonna be the godparents. I won't be alone in raising this baby. And last of all," I add quickly. "I really don't care if you think I shouldn't have this baby. I'm having it, Mikasa, whether you like it or not. And you can leave if you don't."

Her eyes are filled with hurt, but they shine with respect for my decision. She nods. "Alright," she says softly. "Alright." my shoulder sag in relief before tensing again when she swings a finger at me. "One question." She says. I gulp from the intensity of her stare. "S-sure." I stutter.

"You do know how to have a baby though, right?"

Shit.

Mikasa grins evilly.

* * *

_***Please keep in mind that Gypsy is a slur term, and that it is an offense to refer to the Romani people as such.**_


	4. Interlude

Pillow Talk 4

**_*Please keep in mind that Gypsy is a slur term, and that it is an offense to refer to the Romani people as such._**

**_Reaaaaaallllly hesitant about these next few chapters, guys._**

* * *

/Pillow Talk/

_"Mommy?"_

_"Yes, Eren?"_

Red balloon, broken window.

_"What's that?"_

_"This? Oh, its magic, sweetie."_

The phone call, a woman's voice speaking hurriedly in low tones.

_"Magic?"_

_"Mm-hmm. See? I can take off my thumb."_

_"Whoa!"_

Red balloon.

_"How'd you do that, Mommy?"_

_"I told you, Eren. Magic."_

_"Can I do that?"_

Broken window.

_"Sure! I'll teach you!"_

_"Yay!"_

_"But first- got your nose!"_

The phone call.

_"Mommy! Give it back!"_

_"Hahahaha!"_

_"Mommy!"_

A woman's voice.

_"Mommy!"_

_"Alright! Alright, Eren! Here,"_

_"...Will you still teach me magic?"_

_"Yes, love. Let me get dinner started first."_

_" 'kay."_

/Pillow talk/

_A_ woman by the window, holding something that made her breath visible and made her look like a fire breathing dragon, something small and tubular. A joint.

_"Mommy...? What is that?"_

_"Go back to bed, Eren."_

_"What is that, Mommy?"_

_"Eren! Go back to bed!"_

_"But what is that-"_

_"How many times do I have to tell you, Eren-?!"_

_"Mommy-!"_

_"-Go back to bed!"_

_"Mommy you're hurting me!"_

_"..."_

_"M-Mommy...You're h-hurting me...Mommy y-you're hurting...me-e..."_

_"I-I'm sorry...Eren...its just...this is...magic, Eren. A special magic."_

_"Special...magic?"_

_"Yes. But you must never use this kind of magic, Eren. Never. Promise me."_

_"But Mommy-_

_"Never, Eren. Swear it."_

_"...I swear."_

_A sigh. "I love you so much. So much, Eren."_

_"I love Mommy, too."_

_"I know, sweetie. I know.__Believe me, I know..."_

-Pillow talk-

"Who..." The female voice said. Her skin felt soft under my fingers. Just like his used to.

"_Nii-san, don't go..."_

"Nii-san..."

_"Nii-san, I can't lose you! You're my only brother..."_

"Nii-san?" The female voice asked again.

_"Don't worry, Annie, I won't die- I have something special to protect me, you see?"_

_"Special?"_

"Mm-hmm...Nii-san..." I whispered, squeezing my arms tighter around the warm body I held.

"_It's not just the stigma I have on my back, Annie- I carry all of your hopes and dreams. I'm carry the hopes and dreams of the whole world._

_All of us Sentinel's and Guides carry the whole world's dreams on our backs- that's what protects, us, Annie, and brings us back to you..."_

Nii-san...why did you go, then? Why did you both leave me behind then?

_"But-"_

_"And all of those hopes give me strength, Annie- don't you see? That's why I'm able to promise, I won't lose."_

"Nii-san...don't leave me again...please don't..." I sighed into the chest with the warmest sounding heartbeat.

"Umm...Miss?" The female voice called to me, but I ignored it and closed my eyes so I could just hold on to my older brother's warmth for just a second longer. Nii-san...is it better up there, in heaven? With everyone else?

The woman I held in my arms sighed, and I felt her arms wrap around me in a certain warmth I had always associated with my brother. "Don't cry, little one, don't cry..." she murmured, and that's when I felt the tears rolling down my cheeks and onto the woman's crisp shirt, ruining it. But she didn't seem to mind. And I couldn't help but cry harder. "Nii-san..."

_I am here, Annie._

_Reiner and I-we're both here._

"Shh...whoever you Nii-san is, I'm sure he's right here..."

"He's right here..." she murmured once more before I allowed my eyelids to fall shut and encase me in warm darkness.

-Pillow talk-

Sentinels? Guides?

**Sentinels:** A particular being that possesses a certain amount of stigma in their back that allows them a sensory awareness that develops beyond normal human range. They also possess a talent for unlocking a superior strength depending on the type of training they undergo.

They came into existence a few thousand years ago in order to protect the tribe. A Sentinel, with its stigma, has all five of his senses enhanced , and although it doesn't feel like it at first, it is a gift. A very rare and special talent that allows one to comprehend things beyond normal range once one learns to control it.

A normal being can withstand only two or three stigma, even with a Guide. Having 6 stigma gives you the title of an Elite. Having 20 or more stigma's makes you a Hero, and only one person ever recorded had that many- Bertholdt Hoover, with a total of 21 stigma's in his back.

**Guides**: A being with a small gift of Astral Magic, one that is compatible with the Sentinel. They, once baptized, can help ground the Sentinel's senses and also shield them from being crushed by the rapid burst of sensory input as well as from any attacks from fellow Sentinels or magical beings.

In return, the Sentinel grounds and shields the Guide from some of the side effects of drawing magic from the Astral planes. The strongest Guide ever recorded was Bertholdt Hoover's partner, Reiner Braun. His ability and strength allowed him to be able to walk in between the worlds of living and dead, and granted him an amazing ability to regenerate even in battle.

**Baptize:**A ritual that takes place between a Sentinel and Guide, in which the two form and acknowledge their bond. With it, they are able to sense each other's thoughts and feelings, and even heal each other and take away each others pain; a useful tool in battle. Originally, such a bond was only used between Sentinels and Guides that were soul mates.

But after a tragedy that resulted in many death's of both Sentinel and Guide- the 100 years war between Britain and France- compatible Sentinels and Guides were immediately baptized. Once the wars was over, the baptizing became almost sacred again. It became a rule that both the Sentinel's and Guide's consents were needed to be given before the ritual.

The ritual itself is a special event in which only the Sentinel and Guide are present in. Then the two proceed to spend 24 hours together in seclusion, refusing to eat anything as well as touch anyone else but their partner. Research found that during this time, the bond is going through a sort of imprinting; and if one was to interfere, the partners were to die quickly.

**History:** As previously said, the two strongest Sentinel and Guide bond was that of Reiner Braun and Bertholdt Hoover. The two unlocked several areas of research, as well as proved to be a unstoppable force in battle. Sadly, the two perished in one of the greatest battles of all Sentinel-Guide history; Bertholdt succeeded in fighting off a Dark being, the likes of which none have ever seen in the history of magic, and sacrificed himself.

Reiner Braun died shortly after. Sentinel and Guide bonds have three stages; first stage is before baptizing, in which the two recognize their compatibility with each other and, therefore, are feeling about their relationship with each other and seeing whether or not they can peruse a baptizing.

The second stage is the baptizing stage, in which the partners experience the emotions and thought with each other. Most stay within the boundaries of this stage; it allows the two to love and/or marry another person and yet still remain true to the bond.

The last stage-the one Reiner and Bertholdt were in-is the completion stage; in this, the bond is fully realized unlike the other two stages. The partners in this relationship are entirely dependable on each other; if one were to die, then so would the other simply for the reason that their partner was dead. For Guides, their own magic works against them and ultimately kills them while Sentinels, even if they find a suitable partner, die from the overload of the senses.

Despite the risks, many reach this stage for its benefits; because of the tightly knit bond, the two can feed off of each others magic. They form an even stronger pair than before, and are capable of performing a level of magic that even the strongest alone could not produce.

"Interesting..." Armin whispered. His blue gaze turned to the picture beside his old book; a picture of Bertholdt Hoover himself along with his partner Reiner Braun. They both were smiling into the camera, and in Bertholdt's arms was little Annie herself. And she was smiling as well, though she was looking at Bertholdt instead of the camera.

"So that's what you are..."'


	5. Blindesided

Pillow Talk 5

**_*Please keep in mind that Gypsy is a slur term, and that it is an offense to refer to the Romani people as such._**

* * *

/Pillow Talk/

"Eren, I'm pretty sure Christmas passed a few weeks ago..." Armin says. I lift a rebellious eyebrow- _that's right, a __**rebellious **__eyebrow_**_-_**at him. "So?"

"Easter hasn't even passed..."

"And?"

He sighs, obviously impressed by my rebellious eyebrow and unsure as to how to defend himself. "What I'm trying to say is, why are you listening to Christmas music?"

"People do it all the time before Thanksgiving." I retort. Hah. been waiting 9 months to use that one. "And stores dress up for it right after Halloween-which I still don't understand how they do that."

"Its called early holiday shopping." I shake my head. "No, I'm talking about how quickly they dress up for it. Its like, 'Oh, hey guys, its Halloween,' then the next day 'Ho! Its Christmas!' And the store is covered in hanging snowflakes and Santa's and reindeer." Armin snorts at my attempt to talk in a different voice. "Its called a paycheck, Eren."

"Whatever, I'm going to listen to my Christmas music," I pause to count on my fingers, "11 months early." Armin shakes his head dejectedly. "I fear the future of your child."

I grin. "Why? Because you're the Godfather?" he throws his hands into the air. "I give up." I snicker.

"Eren?" I hear a sleep murmur of my name, and turn to see Mikasa standing in the doorway of my room. "What happened?" She rubs her eye, and my mind brings back the image of her when she was younger and was afraid of the scary monsters in her closet. She would stay up in her room on her bed, staring at the door and shaking. I only learned about her fear a year later, and by then it was almost too late. She would've gone insane if Armin and I had not snuck out of our rooms night after night and slept in her room.

"Well, you proceeded to chase Eren all around the apartment," Armin says. My gaze remains on Mikasa. "Which led to him slipping and falling in the bathroom and black out. He had locked the door, so you almost kicked down the door in an attempt to save him. But Erwin was able to hold you back while I unlocked it. I also, accidently, knocked you out after that."

Mikasa stops rubbing her eye and looks at her hand. "Why?" She goes back to rubbing her eye again.

"Well, you _were_ threatening to castrate Erwin if he, quote one quote, 'kept trying to further impregnate my brother.' " Armin muses. "I simply thought it would be in the best interest of his future generations and you if I stopped you." Mikasa groaned. I snickered again.

"Please remind me later to notify my secretary to get some flowers," she muttered before stepping further into the room and flopping onto the bed between me and Armin. I patted her head. "Don't worry. I'm sure Erwin understands." Mikasa catches some kind of sarcasm in my tone and hits me lightly with a pillow. "Well, he left after making sure you were comfortable on the bed, so I guess he sort of does. " Armin says to me.

I shrug. "Anyways, he said he'd be checking up on you now and then. And he promised not to tell anyone about this...I think." Armin's eyes look far away, and I notice the faint frown on his face as well as the twitching in his fingers. "What do you mean?" I ask. Armin's eyes flicker to look at me before looking down.

"Its what he said...it bothers me, a bit."

"What did he say?" I can hear a faint growl in my voice. Mikasa looks up, and I know she heard it to from the way she looks at me.

"Nothing..."

"Armin."

He sighs. "He said, 'I think you and I both agree that things like this shouldn't be brought to the public eye.'" Armin fiddles with his fingers. " And then he left."

I tilt my head. "What's so bad about that?"

"The way he said it, Eren," Armin looks up to meet my gaze. " 'Things like this' like its _happened_ before. As if this is not the first time its happened."

"Well, he is right," I say. "this can't be the first time it happened."

"What?!"

"Think about it, Armin. You're not the only one with a gypsy book. You're not the only one who could fuck up a spell and get someone pregnant, man or woman." Armin looks away. Shit. I said the wrong thing. "Look, you can't blame yourself for this. It happens, Armin. No one is perfect, even if you have magic."

"No one is _just_ perfect," Mikasa murmurs, her gaze calm now. "I'm sure even Merlin had his bad days." I nod. Armin looks back to us. "It happens, Armin," I say softly, reaching out to hold his hand. "And there's no point in complaining about it or whine and bitching about how sad and miserable we are. We just have see the bright side to it. Like how you're the Godfather and Mikasa is the Godmother!" I chirp.

"What."

"U-um, Eren? I forgot to tell her that..." Armin says lightly, afraid.

"Fuck."

I close my eyes in fear, but only hear a sigh and feel Mikasa fall on top of us. "You two are going to be the death of me," she groans. But she wraps her arms around the both of us the same, her cheek rubbing Armin's head.

/Pillow Talk/

After Mikasa takes a quick shower and leaves for work, Armin and I move to the kitchen to get breakfast started. Hey, who cares if the clock says 12:00 in the afternoon? Late breakfast. A few minutes in to our baking, I hear a knock at the door.

_Knock Knock._

I look up. "Am I expecting company?"

"No, but I am," Armin says, moving to wash his hands. "Marco called while you were asleep. I told him I was at your house."

"Ah. Is it today, then?" Get ready, guys, cause here's the biggest town gossip; You won't find the name Marco Bodt in any city records, or for that matter, in any bank records. That's because Marco Bodt died 8 years ago in a fire in his own home. He had been saving his newly born baby sister and succeeded in pushing her crib-_with her inside of it_-outside of the second story window and landed safely in the dense bushes below. But before he could jump, the gas inside his house exploded and the entire house fell on him.

You will, however, find a Marcos Reiss in city records and bank accounts. He took up his mother's maiden name after he came back. Came back? what? what are you saying? Well, Armin had his little magic accident again, and accidently somehow brought back Marco from the dead. Now, he didn't look pretty at all- he lost the entire right side of his upper body in the fire. Armin wasn't able to put him back to rest, but he was able to create the illusion of his right body. Its not really real; you can touch it, taste it, Marco can even move it as he wants. It all feels and looks real. But its actually a copy.

Armin explained later that we needed to find the other half of his body to be able to make it real. 'You can't just create something from nothing,' he said. But Marco says it perished in the fire, and refused any offers from us to look for it. 'Even if its ashes, we can make your body you again,' Armin told him. But Marco still said no.

So, once every few years Marco has to see Armin so he can adjust his illusion and check to see if it was wearing off. Its a long process, but one Marco is fine with having. He always thanks and apologizes to Armin afterwards. Then he bakes something for us in gratitude. So you can see why I'm so excited when Armin said he was coming. His cakes are _really good_.

Marco grins at me as I open the door; well, its more like one side of his face lifts in a whole hearted smile while the other remains stationary. "Hello, Eren," he greets happily. I smile, and try not to stare or think too much on the fact that only one side of mouth moved while the other only frowned at me. Damn, was that freaky. Especially when you're use to seeing the kid's whole face light up like a freaking Christmas tree. I open the door wider so Marco can come in.

Armin greets him further down the hall and together they move to the living room. I grab Marco a glass of water and wave off Armin's efforts to move into the bedroom. "It'll be fine, Armin. I'll just be in the kitchen. You won't even know that I'm here," is all I say. Marco thanks me and grabs my offered glass of water in both his hands.

When I first head into the kitchen, its quiet. The only thing you can hear is the sound of the water in the sink and my light footsteps. Then there's this faint hum; like the sound of a bee's wings inside of a glass bottle. And then finally a song bursts out, and it sounds like...I don't even know how to describe it, but it sounds like a siren's song. The kind of song the distracted sailors and made them fall into the sea to drown themselves. A pure and whole sound you'd only find when a group of nuns in a church start to sing in Latin. Only this time, the song is sung in words only a Romani would understand. That's Armin's magic.

See, magic- or at least, Armin's family's Romani magic- is not a rhyme of words. Its not a poem that just about anyone can read. Yes, there are words, but they must be sung with not your voice, but your magic. Magic was actually a tune inside of yourself, and to use a spell you have to match the words to the tune. That's why some people can't do certain spells, because the words don't match up to their tune. It doesn't mean that you were born with bad or good magic. 'Just because you can't do a spell, doesn't mean you're bad,' Armin once told me. 'It just means you have to come up with your own spell.'

I turn off the fire on my stove and pause in my cooking to listen to Armin's magic. My eyes fall shut, and a content smile appears on my face. But it soon falls to a frown as my brain recalls an old memory of my mother.

My mother used to sing songs like this when I was younger. She always said that the words were magic, but I always thought it was the tune. Because no matter how hard I tried to stay awake, I always fell asleep, or calmed down, when my mother crooned the tune in my ear. Hearing Armin's song made me think of it. I hum along to it as I try to think of the words to my mother 's song.

Fear naught the bugle, though loudly it blows. It calls but the warders that guard thy repose...what was next? My face scrunched up in frustration as I tried to remember. Feeling an odd warmth deep inside my tummy, my hands flew to cover it as I tried to think. I wasn't paying attention, and didn't know that the next room was shocked silent.

Fear naught the bugle, tho' loudly it blows, it calls but the warders that guard thy repose; their bows would be bended their blades would be red, ere the step of a foeman draws near to thy bed...what next? My mind kept thinking about how wrong Armin's song had sounded.

Oh, hush thee, my baby, thy sire was a knight. Oh, hush thee, my baby, oh bonnie, so bright...

"Oh, fear naught the bugle, tho' loudly it blows, it calls but the warders that guard thy repose; their bows would be bended, their blades would be red, ere the step of a foeman draws near to thy bed. Oh, hush thee, my baby, thy sire was a knight...oh, hush thee, my baby, oh bonnie, so bright..."

I sang the words out loud to myself, rubbing my belly thoughtfully as the warmth faded away soon after I finished. I wonder why my mother always said the words were magic?

"Eren." I jump and turn to see a wide-eyed Armin staring at me. "What did you just do?" He says in a firm tone. "What did you just do?"

/Pillow talk/

"I don't know." Is all I can say.

"You don't_know_?!" Armin shouts. "You just basically deflected my spell and recreated Marco! His arm is pretty much back to normal!"

"I don't know..." I murmur. A hand clasps my shoulder and shakes it lightly. "I'm not mad, Eren," Marco reassures. I look up to see his whole face smile. "I'm glad you fixed me."

"_Fixed_?!" Armin exclaims. "Marco, he recreated your arm and face from nothing! They're not illusions!" Marco only shrugs and moves into the kitchen to cook. "How?! How did you do it?!"

"I don't know, Armin! Like I just said, your song felt wrong, and mine felt right! So I just...sang it! To myself! I didn't know what it would do!" I say. I don't want to tell him about the vision of my mother, or that it was her song. Even if Armin was my brother in every way except blood, my mother was a touchy subject.

"Okay, okay..." Armin runs his fingers through his hair as he calms down to think. "It might...it might be the baby."

"What?"

"Its hypothetical, but maybe the baby- because its created using magic, maybe it sensed that something was wrong with my spell and...fixed it. Through you. But how?" Armin begins to mutter to himself. Marco appears from the kitchen and hands me a plate of cookies an a glass of milk. "It was the same spell as ever, how could it be wrong...? Maybe I used it wrong? Or I was using the wrong spell all along?" Armin stares at my stomach.

"If only I could speed up the process and get you out of there so I can ask you these questions..." Terror fills my heart when I see Armin's fingers twitch towards his book, and I wrap my hands around my stomach protectively. "Armin..." I warn, glaring at him. "Don't you dare."

"Dare what?" Marco asks beside me. Oh, right. He didn't know. "Marco, meet baby. Baby, met Marco." I point accordingly to my stomach and Marco before covering it again.

"Oh, how nice! Hello, baby-_BABY_?!"

Armin and I both stop looking at each other to watch the amusing struggle of Marco trying to wrap his head around the idea of a baby. A baby in my stomach. "Y-you're-you're _pregnant_?" I nod and pat my tummy. "Yep. Three weeks."

"H-how-What?-B-but-_how_?"

"Well, son, when a man loves a woman- or in this case, when a man loves a man-"

I grin when Marco holds up a hand to stop me. "Oh my god, don't."

"You asked."

"In all seriousness, I had accidently gotten him pregnant." Armin explains. Marco begins to hyperventilate. "You mean you're the-"

"NO!" Armin and I both shout, and Marco breaths normally again. "Oh thank god," he wheezes out. I pat him on the back. "But Armin did cast a spell that got me pregnant, so, yeah." I say. "Do you know what you're going to do?" Marco asks, looking at me. I nod. "I'm going to have it. Whether I like it or not, its here, so I might as well have it." Marco nods.

"Don't try to convince him otherwise, because Mikasa tried doing that." Armin advises.

"I'll keep that in mind," Marco says. "But what about a doctor? Are you going to give birth to the baby at home?" Shit. Way to rain on my parade, Sweet cheeks. So much for your future as a pediatrician- whoa, whoa, whoa, whoa. Whoa. A brilliant idea hits my head. "I know!" I say. I point at Marco. "You'll be my doctor!"

"What-"

"It'll be perfect!" I clap my hands. "You already know about the situation! You're the only one! Come on, you gotta help me out, Marco!"

"But-"

"Please?" I through puppy dog eyes at him. "Please, Marco? You'll be a big help, and it'd be a great experience! Please?" Marco looks torn, looking from me to Armin. "He's right, Marco," Armin says then. "You're the only one we know with doctor experience, who knows how to handle pregnant situations, who also knows the circumstances of the child, and it'll be a great experience for you." Marco still looks unsure. "You're the only one."

Marco looks at both Armin and I again before sighing. His shoulders fall as he says. "Alright. I'll do it-"

_knock knock._

All of us turn to the door. "Am I expecting company?" I ask.

"Mikasa would've called," Armin murmurs.

"I don't have my phone on me, so it could be Jean." Marco supplies. I turn to give him a betrayed look. "I always insist upon knowing where the other person is," Marco shrugs. I roll my eyes and get up to answer the door.

_Knock knock._

"Yeah, yeah, I'm coming." I say irritably. My fingers find the door knob and turning it my mouth falls open to let lose one of my retorts. "Horse-" The rest of my sentence jumps off a cliff as the person standing before me is not _Horse face_, but actually- my jaws falls down to the floor.

"Hello, Brat," he greets gruffly. "May I came in?"

/Pillow Talk/


End file.
